From now on, I am not using my brain for product ideation. I like, let’s say grape soda exists. You just keep the soda soda but make it orange soda. Now you have something that already exists but targets something completely in you will look at an existing software and look at it from a component swapping perspective. Component swapping is a creative technique where if a thing is made of five components, you replace one of them, and now it’s a new product but similar to the old one, so you don’t have much construction liability, but you can target a whole new use case or audience. Let’s say you have a bottle of grape soda. Now you just component swap the flavor and make it orange soda. Now you can target a whole new audience. And the creation liability is not that great now. You just have to figure out the flavoring part. You can use the existing machinery.
That’s the same thing I am going to do for software from now. I will observe what software exists out there and try to swap only one or two components about them. The recent idea I had was: “Hey, there are yearbook softwares that collect responses from people, and it’s just a simple form map. I can do the same for weddings or special events. Hey, what was your favorite moment? Favorite photograph? Stuff like that. Plus at the end we can deliver a book just like yearBook software does.” I am not going to mess around creating things from ground up anymore. If it exists, it is proven. Thus I shall only component swap.
Plus makes the copywriting so much easier. You can just go yearbooks, but for wedding. I’m in Silicon Valley. At one time, it was full of Uber for dogs, X for Y. Maybe there is a reason for it. I will play the game.
It can be about content also, I can be like looksmaxxing but for a job or for creativity or whatever (not literally, but in spirit.)
From Claude
Look at any successful software and ask:
- Who’s it for? (audience swap)
- What context? (occasion/industry swap)
- What’s the medium? (format swap)
- What’s the goal? (outcome swap)
- What’s the frequency? (temporal swap)
Why content swaps are even better:
- No code, ship today
- Audience tells you if it works immediately
- Can build software later if it sticks
- Lower opportunity cost
Quick riffs on “looksmaxxing but for X”:
- “Careermaxxing” – resume optimization, LinkedIn presence scores, interview performance tracking, salary negotiation routines
- “Writemaxxing” – daily word counts, style analysis, clarity scores, “literary aesthetics”
- “Voicemaxxing” – podcast hosts optimizing vocal tone, pacing, filler word reduction
- “Spacemaxxing” – home/apartment optimization, lighting scores, acoustic treatment
- “Conversationmaxxing” – social skills but with the measurement obsession